University of Illinois to Lead U.S. DOT Research Center
URBANA, Ill. (January 17, 2012)
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded a grant of $3.5 million to a multi-university consortium led by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to establish a rail transportation and engineering research center. Headquartered within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Illinois, the National University Rail (NURail) Center will focus on rail education and research to improve railroad safety, efficiency and reliability. Particular focus will be on challenges associated with rail corridors in which higher-speed passenger trains share infrastructure with freight trains.
The NURail Center will be the first UTC focused solely on rail, and the proposal received broad support from a large number of public, private sector, and international rail organizations. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign leads a consortium of research universities including the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Michigan Technical University, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, the University of Kentucky, and the University of Tennessee. Within the theme of shared rail corridors, research projects will focus on track and structures; train control; rolling stock; human factors, and other topics identified based on Federal Railroad Administration and Association of American Railroads priorities. The center will be under the direction of Professor Christopher P.L. Barkan, the Krambles Faculty Fellow and director of the Illinois Rail Transportation and Engineering Center (RailTEC).
In addition to being part of the NuRails center, the Urban Transportation Center at UIC will join a collaboration led by the University of South Florida’s National Center for Transit Research, one of only two centers designated to work on transit research nationally. Work at UIC may include projects related to the issues of safety, maintenance, competitiveness, livability, and environmental stability in the Chicago region, Illinois, and nationally. UIC has been guaranteed $700,000 of the $3.5 million federal grant to the University of South Florida, with a $700,000 matching grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation. UIC is also a participant in a third UTC consortium led by the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
University of Illinois President Michael Hogan said, “The University of Illinois is very thankful for the support of Governor Pat Quinn and our state Congressional leadership, in helping us win these grants. Illinois has the nation’s best programs in rail engineering and transit system development and operation, and these UTC’s will help the nation and region prepare for future freight and passenger rail needs.”
These research grants are part of $77 DOT million in grants to 22 UTCs—involving a total of 121 different universities across the country—to advance research and education programs that address critical transportation challenges facing the nation. The UTCs conduct research that directly supports the priorities of the DOT on transportation-related issues such as shared rail corridors, innovations in multimodal freight and infrastructure, bridge inspection methods, and reducing roadway fatalities and injuries.
Contacts:
Nancy Wilochka, U.S. Department of Transportation, 202/366-5128; www.dot.gov/affairs/briefing.htm
Christopher Barkan, director, National University Rail (NURail) Center and RailTEC, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 217/244-6338; cbarkan@illinois.edu
Steve Schlickman, executive director, UTC at University of Illinois, Chicago, 312/996-4820; sschlick@uic.edu
USDOT grants target three rail, intermodal research centers:http://www.progressiverailroading.com/prdailynews/news.asp?id=29581
Link to PDF: Click Here
IDOT and University of Illinois High-Speed Rail Study AnnouncementÂ
Thursday June 2, 2011 - Illinois Governor Pat Quinn announced a partnership between the University of Illinois, the Illinois Department of Transportation to study the feasibility of 220-mph passenger rail service in Illinois. The study will complement the ongoing construction of a regional 110-mph network that will connect Chicago to 40 cities in the Midwest, while supporting Governor Quinn's vision to create jobs, enhance regional mobility and improve the environment by expanding passenger rail in Illinois. "Illinois is leading the nation with our work to expand high-speed and passenger rail," said Governor Quinn. "This study will provide greater insight into how we can make 220-mph rail service a reality. An expanded and improved rail network will boost our position in the global economy and create thousands of jobs." The study will explore the potential costs and benefits of establishing 220-mph service between O'Hare International Airport, downtown Chicago, McCormick Place, and Champaign-Urbana and will also look at extending the corridor in the region to cities south of Champaign-Urbana, including St. Louis and Indianapolis.Â
For more information please see the following articles: Governor Quinn's Announcement of IDOT/U of I HSR Study UIUC Engineering State-University Partnership to Study High-Speed Rail Line - Railway Age Magazine U. of Illinois, state DOT to study 220 mph HSR - Chicago Tribune Illinois to study 220 mph bullet trains
AREMA Student Chapter NewsletterÂ
January 2011 Issue
Nation's Top Transportation Research Official Visits UIUC/ATREL
The UIUC transportation group welcomed Peter H. Appel to campus and ATREL on August 19-20. Appel was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) in spring 2009.
Media Coverage: WICD News Channel 15, News-Gazette, College of Engineering and WILL AM 580
CN has made a new $325,000 donation to the Railroad Engineering Program, a gift which renews the company’s generous commitment to railroad engineering education.
CN Renews Support for Rail Program
Winter 2011 CEE Alumni Association Newsletter
CN Renews Support for UIUC Rail Engineering Program
Railway Track & Structure - August 2010Â
Railroad Students Recipients of AREMA 2010 Scholarship
Seven Railroad Engineering Students received an AREMA Scholarship.
Introducing RailTEC
For over a century, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has been the leading academic institution in rail transportation engineering in North America. Building on its strong academic and research programs in rail engineering and transport, Illinois introduces a dynamic new hub: The Rail Transportation and Engineering Center (RailTEC). RailTEC recognizes the expanding importance of rail transportation to the economy, to society and to a safe and sustainable environment, and is committed to further growth and development of its teaching and research activities in support of the nation’s need for talented young minds and new technologies for this vital transportation mode. Download pdf of UIUC RailTEC flyer here
High-Speed Rail a New Focus for Railroad Program
Caption: Professor T.C Kao and his wife, Mei, wait to board a high-speed train in Taiwan.
Video of Mike Franke - AMTRAK discussing the 2010 AREMA Hay Award
Caption: Amtrak/AREMA exec Michael Franke on the annual 'Hay' award
Articles / Journals
January 2012 - http://www.wicd15.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/vid_4838.shtmlÂ
January 2012 - http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-bc-il--uofillinois-railtransportation,0,2662234.storyÂ
January 2012 - http://will.illinois.edu/news/spotstory/u.-of-illinois-to-get-new-rail-center/Â
Conference Focuses on High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail - TR NEWS 269 July–August 2010
Improving Hazmat Transportation by Kathi Kube, Trains Magazine, January 2010
2009 AREMA Annual Conference - September 2009
Railroad Students and faculty attended the 2009 AREMA Annual Conference in Chicago, IL.
Renewing the Partnership by Christopher P.L. Barkan, Railway Age, October 2009
2010 Joint Rail Conference - High Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail
JRC 2010 is the the principal, multi-disciplinary, North American conference focused on rail transportation next year. The conference will be held 27-29 April 2010 on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Urbana, IL 140 mi, (225 km) south of Chicago.Â
Field Trip on BNSF Geometry Car
Railroad students had the opportunity to take a ride on the BNSF Geometry Car in July 2009
Chris Barkan and Yung-Cheng Lai receive the TA Steward-Dyer/ Frederick Harvey Trevithick Prize
Summer 2009 CEE Alumni Association Newsletter
International Heavy Haul Association 2009Â
Railroad Engineering Students went to Shanghai, China to present papers.
2009 Railroad Job Fair
The University of Illinois Civil & Environmental Engineering Department and Engineering Career Services were excited to host an event to highlight the railroad and the innovative opportunities available to college students and graduates.  “Getting Your Career on Track in the Railroad Industry” was held on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 from 4-6 p.m. at the Illini Union on the Urbana-Champaign campus.
2009 Dr. W.W. Hay Award for Excellence
The selection process for the tenth Dr. W.W. Hay Award of Excellence began and the 2009 chair, Michael W. Franke, a former student of Dr. Hay, issued a call for entries. Entries should have been received no later than June 15, 2009Â Click here for more information
8th International Conference on the Bearing Capacity of Roads, Railways and Airfields
The Eight International Conference on the Bearing Capacity of Roads, Railways and Airfields (BCR2A’09) took place at the University of Illinois in Champaign, Illinois, on June 29-July 2, 2009. The BCR2A’09 conference was particularly of interest to academics, researchers, and practitioners involved in transportation geotechnics, pavement and railroad engineering disciplines and concerned with the many issues pertaining to the bearing capacity and mechanistic based design of highway and airfield pavements and railroad track structures. The BCR2A’09 conference provided a forum to promote efficient design, construction and maintenance of the transportation infrastructure. Click here for PDFÂ
2009 TRB Annual Conference - January 2009
Railroad students and faculty presented at the 2009 TRB Annual Conference in Washington, DC.Â
2008 AREMA Annual Conference - September 2008
Railroad Students and faculty attended the 2008 AREMA Annual Conference in Salt Lake City, UT.
Field Trip to Monticello Railway Museum
Railroad students had an opportunity to work on the railroad.
Railroads and "green"Â by Tom Judge, December, Railway Track and Structures. Tom Judge, editor of RT&S, discusses attending the 2008 Railroad Environmental Conference.
1968 - 2008 Moving toward green: Forty years of railroad environmental practice by Chris Barkan, Railway Age, October 2008, pp. 24-27
AREMA Student Chapter Formed
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign formed a student chapter of AREMA in the Fall of 2008. The goal of this chapter is to expose students to railroad engineering education and the railway industry in order to foster the development of leaders in railroad engineering in North America and throughout the world.
"Building an Education Infrastructure For Railway Transportation Engineering - Renewed Partnerships on NewTracks"Â by Christopher P.L. Barkan, July-August 2008 - TR News
2008 Railroad Engineering Education Symposium
To foster the growth of rail engineering education within universities, the AREMA Foundation and AREMA Committee 24 - Education and Training, organized an event called the Railway Engineering Education Symposium. The goal of the event was to provide engineering professors with rail curriculum to take back to the classroom. The professor symposium was held from June 8-11, 2008, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The symposium included two days of discussion on railroad engineering materials, current and future research, and a visit to local railroad facilities.
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"Narrowing the Information Gap" by Kathi Kube, September - Trains Magazine |
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"Leadership for the Future" by George Sokulski, August - Railway Track & Structures |
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"CFIRE Sponsors REES Summit" |
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"Help wanted, training needed Universities, industry try to forestall engineering shortage" by Kathi Kube, May - Trains Magazine |
8th World Conference on Railway Research, Seoul, Korea - May 2008Â
Three University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign students and Prof. Barkan attended the 8th World Conference on Railway Research in Seoul, Korea. Prof. Barkan, Darwin Schafer and Yung-Cheng Lai all presented papers. Darwin Schafer's paper was chosen the "Prize for Best Paper Award" and "Prize for Young Researcher Award."
2008 Dr. W.W. Hay Award for Excellence
The selection process for the tenth Dr. W.W. Hay Award of Excellence began and the 2008 chair, Michael W. Franke, a former student of Dr. Hay, had issued a call for entries. Entries should have been received no later than June 15, 2008Â Click here for more information
CTA - Fellowship for Summer 2008Â
The Chicago Transit Authority had initiated the inaugural Presidential Fellowship during summer 2008. The program sought highly-skilled and motivated graduate students the opportunity to both learn from and contribute to the CTA's mission to providing quality and affordable transit services to residents in the Chicago area. They targeted students from top graduate programs in policy engineering transportation studies and public and business administration to join the program.
University of Kentucky Students and Faculty Visited UIUCÂ
The Univeristy of Kentucky students and faculty visited the railroad engineering program March 7-11, 2008.
Engineering Open House - March 7-8, 2008
Engineering Open House (EOH) is an annual event organized entirely by engineering students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It is held each spring semester, and draws estimated crowds of 20,000 people including, students, teachers, parents and families, from all over Illinois (and beyond). The Railroad Engineering Program participates in EOH each year by working with major railroads who to set up various exhibits and displays of railroad technology.Â
Alumnus returns to teach railroad engineering
Winter 2008 CEE Alumni Association Newsletter
Railroad Alumnus Speaks at Grainger
Chuck Allen of Norfolk Southern spoke at a William W. Hay Railroad Engineering Seminar on 10-19-07
TRB 87th Annual Meeting - January 2008
Railroad Engineering faculty and students attended the TRB Annual Meeting in Washington, DC to present papers and attend sessions
INFORMS - November 2007
Railroad Engineering students went to the INFORMS meeting in Seattle, WA to present papers.
2007 AREMA Annual Conference - September 2007
The 2007 AREMA Annual Conference was held at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, IL. UIUC faculty member, Erol Tutumluer, and Railroad Engineering Program graduate student, Daniel Peltier, both presented papers, as did UIUC alumnus, Kevin Day of CN. The title and links to their papers are here . A number of students in the UIUC Railroad Engineering Program attended the conference and had the opportunity to meet some of their predecessors who are now working in engineering positions in the railroad industry
Railroad Job Fair - September 6, 2007Â
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Railroad Engineering Department and Engineering Career Services hosted a Railroad Engineering Job Fair.
Understanding Ballast Behavior
Railway Track and Structure, August 2007. UIUC Professor Erol Tutumler's research on Discrete Element Modeling (DEM) of railroad ballast performance was discussed in an article in the August 2007 issue of Railway Track and Structures
International Heavy Haul Association 2007Â
Railroad Engineering Students went to Kiruna, Sweden to present papers.
Teaching and Research Position in Railroad EngineeringÂ
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign invites applications for a full-time Lecturer in its railroad engineering program.
Hay Railway Engineering Collection DedicatedÂ
The William W. Hay Railway was dedication on September 29th, 2006 in the Grainger Engineering LIbrary.
Illinois Engineer presents the American Railroads ExperienceÂ
La Opinion, Granada, Spain. 5/24/06
Lean Railroading
Productivity Press 2006
William Hay Railroad Engineering Collection dedicated at Grainger
Fall/Winter 2006 CEE Alumni Association Newsletter
Hanson Inc. gift will help expand, improve rail program
Fall/Winter 2006 CEE Alumni Association Newsletter
Letter from Luc Aliadière, UIC Chief Executive
Mads Bergendorff, Senior Advisor for Environment at UIC, 2001 – 2005 Keynote Speaker at the 2004 Railroad Environmental Conference at the University of Illinois at Urbana- ChampaignÂ
Safe, Efficient Rail Transport
Fall/Winter 2005 CEE Alumni Association Newsletter
Union Pacific Railroad Gift to Support Rail Grad Research, DiversityÂ
Fall/Winter 2005 CEE Alumni Association Newsletter
Career in Rail Prompts Gift for Scholarships
Fall/Winter 2005 CEE Alumni Association Newsletter
Norfolk Southern Corporation’s gift sponsors Hay seminars
Fall/Winter 2005 CEE Alumni Association Newsletter
Barkan named George Krambles Faculty FellowÂ
Fall/Winter 2005 CEE Alumni Association NewsletterÂ
Those Who Can, TeachÂ
Trains Magazine, May 2005
Amtrak President David Gunn Lectures at UIUC
Spring/Summer 2005 CEE Alumni Association Newsletter
CN gift supports railroad program SpringÂ
Spring 2003 CEE Alumni Association Newsletter
Transit leader's life inspires scholarship
Spring 2003 CEE Alumni Associate Newsletter
On TrackÂ
Spring 2003 CEE Alumni Association Newsletter
William W. Hay Railroad Engineering CollectionÂ
Friendscript Volume 23, Issue 2, Winter 2001
